FSE

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1

“Personal log entry, Terran Standard Date: 2515-03-28; Time: 1737 hours FCT. It's been over a month since we left Fren'a and we still have a way to go before we reach the nebula. Fier'na gave Tanya the coordinates for the star system where the dead world known as Chenau-Ri is located, so it's now in our navigation system. There isn't much out here between the Perseus Arm and the Outer Arm of the galaxy. Well, there are stars, of course, but not nearly as densely populated…and not a lot of anything else. The galactic weather is pretty calm in this area, so we should have smooth sailing until we get in the vicinity of the nebula. Fier'na said she'd give us a heads up before we reach the remnant of the nebula's shockwave.

“It's otherwise business as usual—the daily routine of running the ship, star mapping, whatever activities the Fansq ladies organize, meals, drills, and inspections. Given our present distance from home—approximately seventeen thousand lightyears—some might ask why even bother with continuing the military routine since there is no one to report to out here, no one will be checking on us, and no one would find us if anything should happen. We're still in the military—no one has relieved us from our duty, and we're still acting under the orders we were given. As long as we're on this mission, no matter where it may lead, we're in for 'the duration'—no matter how long that might be. It is the nature of who and what we are and what we do: we're a long-range scout ship. This time, however, we're not alone. We have the I.E.S. Chel-Sar Se'nika with us, and Madam Commander Rhuw-Rha'an and her crew are most capable. Seriously, I'm glad they were able to come along with us on this mission. We also have Miss Rissanivi Salnuano, our Vey'ani guide to these parts, with her courier ship, the Ilissenri_. We now have the three Y'Nahrans traveling with us in their own ship—for how long, I don't know, but while they're with us, their greatly advanced tech is a welcome addition. And then there is the mysterious First One who has been following us since Élenswena. I suppose that if something particularly nasty were to crop up, I'm sure that First One could make it think twice about messing with us._

“I received a message from Command a little while ago via the Mûr Tua'ansa military communication network, and relayed to us by Shen-Lir'an. Apparently, we're getting some long-awaited mail, which should lift the spirits a notch on this ship—and over on the Se'nika_, too. If we're lucky, maybe we might get some news or even a new movie or two._

“End log entry."

James leaned back in his office chair and closed his eyes for a few moments. Like his crew, he was also looking forward to getting some mail from home. Aside from his immediate family, he was hoping he'd get something from his cousin, Poppy Daugherty. James had sent a message telling her what he had learned about Arlan and that he had been with Shauna's brother when they and Hauvri'ahn mysteriously disappeared, and that they had received their first solid clue as to the likely direction those three had went. James didn't mention the part about the immortal Ayoona-lu-Nehm'a male Arlan and the others had been traveling with, or speculate how Hauvri'ahn had lost her n'lenda chéwë bracelet on a world whose civilization had ended itself thousands of years ago.

Thinking about that bracelet, James hoped it didn't end up wherever Fier'na had found it because Hauvri'ahn met an untimely end. He remembered Cdr. Williamson telling him about what went on down on the planet and being cautioned by the Y'Nahrans to stay out of parts of buildings that were underground, and not to be out near local sunset. Zach had shown James video he had recorded of the pack creatures they saw during dust-off. They looked like something from a horror vid.

“Jeezers," James thought, “I hope they weren't killed and eaten by something down there."

James rubbed his face with his hand and leaned forward, staring at his terminal for a moment.

Tapping a control pad on his desk, James said, “Syl, see if you can get Fier'na on a channel and pipe it to my terminal."

/* “Aye, sir, just a moment…" */

Nearly a minute later, James' terminal beeped and the ship's logo on the screen was replaced by the words,

Incoming call via ship-to-ship communications channel. Do you wish to accept? Press “Y" or “N" now.

When James pressed the “Y" key on his keyboard, Fier'na's smiling face appeared.

[Fier'na]: “Captain Daugherty, you wished to speak_ with me?_"

[James]: “Miss Fier'na, yes. I've been wondering about something, specifically, the bracelet belonging to Hauvri'ahn. By chance, do you have a rough idea how long it might have been lying wherever it was that you found it at?"

[Fier'na]: “I'm sorry, I do not."

[James]: “Okay, did you happen to notice the area around it—were there any traces of blood, torn clothing, any sign of a struggle or the like?"

[Fier'na]: “I did not have time to take a close look. I saw something shiny that looked out of place, considering the area we were in at the time. When I saw it, I knew that it had not belonged to any of the former inhabitants, so I quickly picked it up and stuck it in my bag. It was not until we returned to our ship and left the surface that I had the time to take a closer look. After cleaning it, I had the computer scan it and search for a pattern match. While it was doing that, I had the inscription translated—it was then that I learned the owner's name. When Kei'sa mentioned it to…um, to the First One who has been following you, Kei'sa was told to give it to the tall one named Shauna."

[James]: “I was just hoping that Hauvri'ahn had not fallen prey to any of the surviving wildlife on that planet. I hate having to tell a family that their loved one had been killed, and it's even worse when there's no body to bring back. I've seen too many flag-draped empty caskets at funerals during my military career."

Fier'na's expression saddened and she nodded her head.

[Fier'na]: “I understand, Captain. I am sorry that I could not tell you more."

[James]: “Well, it was a long-shot, but I had to ask anyway—just trying to narrow down the possibilities a bit."

[Fier'na]: “Certainly, Captain. Is there anything else I might help you with?"

[James]: “I think that's it for now, Miss Fier'na. Thank you for your time."

[Fier'na]: “Yes, Captain."

When the screen of his terminal blanked and the ship's logo reappeared, James slumped his shoulders a bit and sighed.

“Well, so much for that idea," he thought to himself.

* * * * *

/* “Attention all hands. Mail Call, Mail Call. Mail Call is being held in the crew's mess. Now Mail Call." */

Sylvia's voice was heard throughout the ship over the intercom. She had received the ship's mail and dutifully logged it in, sorted it, flagged anything of a classified nature, and sent everything marked as personal to her data port where it was copied onto data chips to be handed out. Backup copies were automatically stored in the protected archives of the ship's computer core. While it would have been much more efficient to simply send a copy of each person's personal mail into the inbox of their computer account, it was still a time-honored tradition on long-range scout ships to hold an old-fashioned Mail Call as it was done centuries ago in the days of the old wet navy.

While Mail Call was taking place in the crew's mess, James stayed by the coffee maker, leaning against the counter and quietly observing, while Sylvia stood on a short step-stool and called out the names in alphabetical order.

“Anuani…Bronski…Canberra, Felix…Canberra, Læree'ahn…Cha'rhu'ez…Donnelson, John…"

Everyone received mail of some sort or another, even Moira. All except for one.

Later, during dinner, nearly everyone was talking about what they had received in the mail—letters from home, mostly, though Dr. Garland and Dr. Teros had also received professional letters from peers in their respective fields, and Miss Ja'f'darwe had received diplomatic dispatches along with her personal mail from Terra and from Élendor. Prior to coming to dinner, James had quickly scanned through his mail—some things he could ignore, other things could wait until the next day, and the mail he got from home he'd look at later that evening (he noted that he had received something from his cousin, poppy; he would open that first). Lilly and Tanya were long accustomed to James' habit of waiting to read his mail before bed, and they also knew his habit of watching his crew after a Mail Call, so they purposely didn't take too much of his attention.

James noticed that everyone seemed generally happy after they had a chance to read through their personal mail a time or two. There was one person on his ship that he paid particular close attention to—the one person who did not receive any mail. While James wasn't going to change tradition for just one person and spoil things for everyone else, he made a mental note to speak to the individual about it when he got the chance.

The individual onboard Nightwing who didn't receive any mail was Communications Technician, Lower Grade, Khel'zet Harankhek of the R'Hin Empire, who was likely listed as missing and was presumed to be dead (or possibly a traitorous defector, if she still lived) by her own people. Khel'zet normally kept up a stoic appearance, though now that she understood what “Mail Call" meant, James knew she had to be struggling to maintain her composure. Khel'zet was never the overly talkative type, like Lt. Cha'rhu'ez was prone to be, though a few had been able to get her to open up a bit and participate more in activities. That was mostly due to the efforts of her bunkmates, Elí, Meyleh, and Thavi.

Later that evening, Lilly had been chatting with Cara down on Deck 5 in her berthing compartment until “Tattoo" was announced five minutes prior to “Taps" at 2200 hours. On her way towards the lift to head up to Deck 1, Lilly's ears perked up upon hearing an unusual sound coming from near the port-side airlock. Peering down the section of passageway leading to the airlock, Lilly saw Khel'zet sitting on the deck, knees drawn up, arms folded and resting on her knees, and her face buried in her arms. After discretely observing the R'Hinsi female for a few moments, Lilly quietly approached.

“Hey, ya okay, hon?" Lilly asked softly.

Khel'zet lifted her head and looked up—when she saw Lilly, she immediately wiped her eyes and started to stand, but Lilly gently put a hand on Khel'zet's shoulder and sat down shoulder-to-shoulder next to her.

“Ch-Chief Donnelson…there is no excuse for my…behavior, I…"

“Hey, it's okay, girl. Ya wanna talk about it?" Lilly asked softly.

“But…but it is time for lights out, I will be late…" Khel'zet said, and started to get up again, but Lilly put her arm around Khel'zet's shoulders.

“Nobody's gonna get onto ya for turnin' in after Taps, and it's not like ya got a duty shift comin' up, so don't worry about it, okay? Besides, the Fansq girls were workin' on somethin' back in Hydroponics and Miss Thavi is probably still tinkerin' with that computer simulation she's been workin' on," Lilly explained.

Khel'zet slumped a little, though she continued to look down at the deck.

“So, what's botherin' ya, hon?" Lilly asked softly.

Khel'zet said nothing for several minutes. The announcement of Taps came over the intercom and the lighting shifted to indicate ship's night. Lilly continued to sit next to Khel'zet with an arm around her shoulders, waiting for her to open up and talk. A few more minutes passed and then, hesitantly, she finally started to speak.

“I…I do not know what…if…I am thought of."

Lilly realized then what must have affected Khel'zet so.

“Oh…it was the Mail Call, wasn't it? Everybody got letters from home, but you didn't because nobody knows what happened to ya," Lilly said quietly.

“I…never learned what happened to…the others on the transport ship we were on. I do not know if it was destroyed, or if they lived to tell what happened. If they did…I…I may be considered 'missing' or…or worse," Khel'zet said.

Lilly dropped her ears and said, “Missing and presumed dead."

Khel'zet blurted out, “If I was only dead, I would be remembered! They may think my removal was arranged…and think I willingly left to be with others! I would be a 'Traitorous Defector' and my name burned before my clan!"

Khel'zet buried her face in her arms and let out a soft sob. Lilly pulled Khel'zet close and hugged her.

“Jeezers, it's not your fault you got snatched and dragged thousands of lightyears away by people yours didn't know even existed, let alone have been able to stop 'em from takin' ya! What a bunch of paranoid eejits!" Lilly thought a moment and added, “Hey, we'll remember ya! Might not be quite the same, but we don't throw people away like that. We'll stand with ya when yer name is called."

Khel'zet looked up in tearful surprise.

“You…you would do that…?"

“Sure, hon. We might not be able to do anythin' about the past, but we can do somethin' about now and be thinkin' how we want the future to be," Lilly replied.

Khel'zet thought back to what the healer, Frer-Sha'an had told her on Dra'ka.

“These people have been touched by the First Ones…if only my people could learn from them…"

“I…I do not wish to be…your enemy."

Lilly smiled and nuzzled Khel'zet.

“Me, neither, hon."

* * * * *

By the time Khel'zet hit the rack it was nearly 2300 hours. After climbing in and shutting the privacy panels, Khel'zet thought about the time she had just spent talking with Chief Donnelson—which was for nearly an hour—and how she seemed to genuinely care, despite the recent history between the R'Hin Empire and the Sol Federation of Worlds.

“How these people can think of me as they seem to do is still something I cannot grasp. Yet, what they have done for me cannot be easily dismissed—I owe them for my life. Another of my people might think these who have taken me in have a hidden motive behind their words and actions—am I so different from others of my kind that I do not see a chu'hrek[[1]](#ftn1) _lurking behind every smiling face?" Khel'zet pondered that for a minute or so and then thought of something else. “I have learned of those who are the true enemy that threaten all in this galaxy—they must be stopped, but…who will warn my people of them and the danger they pose? How will we fight them? Can we fight them? Those of this ship have said they will, and that they had already fought with some of the followers of those called the Dark Bloods and have lived to tell of it. I have seen some of those followers while I was held on Dra'ka and have since been shown[[2]](#ftn2) _what they do to others. Horrible! And what their masters do, I have learned, is even worse, if that can be imagined! I do not wish to see more, though I fear we all will before the terror of the Dark Bloods is ended. I am but one…what can I do?"

Khel'zet quickly fell asleep and soon found herself in a dream unlike any other she could remember, so real that it seemed. She found herself standing on the edge of a cliff that plunged into a steep, dark valley; on the other side of it was a forest of incredibly tall trees…and a structure that looked ancient, though was of a design she had never seen before. There were others standing near the structure and, though difficult to see clearly, they seemed to be waving at her, beckoning to her to join them. A voice spoke in her head in two languages at once—an alien one and her own.

“I see you, Khel'zet Harankhek of R'Hin. You are known to me. Come, fall into loneliness and join those of Light!"

Khel'zet suddenly found herself falling into a deep, cold, shadowy mist—she cried out, and then a bright, warm, swirling light enveloped her.

“I have you, child, you are not alone," an oddly accented female voice said in her head.

“Khel'zet, what is wrong? Are you alright?"

Her forehead hurt and a bright light made her squint. She heard a familiar voice speaking worriedly to her. When Khel'zet could begin to see clearly, the concerned faces of her bunkmates came into view. Meyleh was the one who had asked if she was okay.

“I…I do not know what happened. Did I dream? I…I fell…into a dark mist. There was a voice…then a bright light…and why does my head hurt?"

“Khel'zet yelled, then tried to sit up but hit head on bottom of upper bunk," Thavi replied.

“We should take her to see Chief Sorrel," Elí suggested.

“Yes, we should," Meyleh agreed.

“I…I believe I will be fine. I think," Khel'zet said, gently touching her forehead, wincing a bit.

“Khel'zet hit head with good thump; Khel'zet should get head and neck checked out. Thavi insists!"

Knowing how strong (and stubborn) her Thabbani bunkmate was, Khel'zet relented.

A short while later in Sickbay, Mindy—who had had just enough time to put her robe on before they came in—ran a hand-held medical scanner over Khel'zet's forehead and neck.

Checking the readout, Mindy said, “You've got a pretty good bump forming on your head and there is some inflammation in your neck. I'll give you something for that, and I can take care of the contusion."

Mindy quickly looked up which medicine would work on Khel'zet, administered it, and then got a dermal stitcher out of a drawer.

“This won't hurt a bit," Mindy said, using the device to heal the bump on Khel'zet's forehead. “The combination analgesic and anti-inflammatory will take care of the rest. There…how's that?"

“Better. Thank you," Khel'zet replied, gingerly touching her forehead after Mindy finished.

“So, what caused you to bump your head?" Mindy asked.

Embarrassed by the incident, Khel'zet told Mindy about the dream she had, and then Thavi explained how Khel'zet had tried to sit bolt upright in the limited space of her rack.

“Well, that explains the head. Sounds to me like you had the same type of dream we've all had—I think you've been called by The Heart, too. I can kinda understand why we've been called by it, but…you, too?" Mindy asked.

“You have all had a similar dream?" Khel'zet asked in amazement.

“As far as we know—I'm not sure about Miss Salnuano, though," Mindy replied.

“What of your tall friends?" Khel'zet asked.

“Everyone on the Se'nika had the same dream, too," Mindy replied.

Khel'zet did not know how to wrap her mind around the significance of what had happened.

* * * * *

“So, The Heart has called you as well, my dark-skinned child. This is a new turn. Hmm…I wonder…" Naoia thought to herself when she learned that the R'Hinsi female had just been included with the others in the journey of the heart to The Heart. “Nobody on Dra'ka seemed to know why she had been collected and brought there, not even those who got her. So, our little creation, just what are you up to with this? You don't call random people across the multiverse to you unless you have a reason to. What's so special about this particular R'Hinsi, hmm? I need to keep my eye out for those pesky Dark Bloods—if Kri'liana and Trae'lan can't find them then I'll have to look, and I'd rather not at the moment because I need to stay close to the children. Now, then, who can I get to go sniff out what might have caught The Heart's attention about this child…?"

Naoia thought about who those who knew The Heart well and were good at discreetly checking into a person's history in order to find things that would certainly get its attention in the right circumstances. She needed to know all about Khel'zet Harankhek if she had to be an effective Guide for her, too. A name came to mind, so she contacted that particular First One.

“Naoia, well, this is a pleasant surprise! What may I do for you, my dear?"

“Salen-na'thal, The Heart threw a winger at me," Naoia replied.

“What did it do this time?" Salen asked with a hint of resignation.

“I'm in the middle of guiding a group of youths on their Journey and the sly thing up and added another on me—and with no warning, I might add!" Naoia replied in exasperation.

“Oh? That's unusual," Salen said.

“You bet your tail it is! If you're not terribly busy, would you mind sniffing around to see what might have caught its attention about this new individual?" Naoia asked.

“Oh, I suppose I could…for you. What universe are you in, my dear?" Salen asked. After Naoia showed him which one, he said, “Oh, still tinkering with that one, eh? All right, Nar'sena and I will be there in a moment."

Naoia brought her thoughts back to where she was currently at and smiled.

“Char'ena, we're about to have some company. Salen-na'thal will be here momentarily with Nar'sena."

/* “We catch up with?" */

“For a little bit, dear. I've asked Salen if he would find out what's so special about our new R'Hinsi friend," Naoia replied.

/* “The Heart call her, too?" */

“Yes, and I want to know why. This is unusual."

/* “Maybe Khel'zet be one to get R'Hin to change? She be good go-between, now she with others and learn from them." */

Naoia considered Char'ena's suggestion.

“Hmm, now there's a thought. We might have to pay that idiot emperor of theirs a visit on the way back and have a little chat. Maybe after James and Rha'an get the Fansq settled on their new home, we can make a quick side trip to R'Hin," Naoia said, rubbing her chin. “That was a very good suggestion, Char'ena. Thank you."

/* “Yes, Mistress." */

“Well, that could be a reason why The Heart chose to add her. I'm going to have to remind our little creation to let me know beforehand if it's going to do something like this again—and why, too!" Naoia thought to herself, fuming a bit over the late addition.

She didn't mind the fact that James and the others had picked up a stray along the way. What she did mind was that The Heart should have told her—or at least one of The Keepers—it was going to include Khel'zet Harankhek of R'Hin when it was selecting who would be making the journey of the heart to The Heart in this galaxy.

* * * * *

After she had awakened him the next morning, Moira quietly informed James—via her android avatar—that Chief Sorrel wished to speak privately with him before breakfast. James knew that there was usually only one thing that Mindy would insist on discussing in private with him about—a medical issue.

James walked into Sickbay carrying two mugs of coffee.

“I heard you needed to speak with me about something," James said, handing Mindy one of the coffee mugs.

“Oh, yes, I do, and…thank you," Mindy said with a smile, taking the offered mug. After taking a cautious sip, she continued. “Something happened last night with one of the crew that I thought you should be aware of."

James sat down on the other side of Mindy's desk, took a sip of his own coffee, and leaned back.

“Who was it and what happened?"

“Well, pretty near zero hundred last night, Miss Thavi and the Fansq girls brought Miss Harankhek in with a bump on her forehead," Mindy said.

James raised an eyebrow while taking another sip of his coffee.

“Lilly found her sitting by the port-side airlock shortly before Taps last night and they sat and talked for over an hour. Well, I think Lilly did more listening than talking," James said.

Mindy frowned slightly, and said, “That wasn't mentioned while they were here. Anyway, the story I got was that Miss Harankhek had been dreaming and suddenly woke up—that's when she bumped her forehead. Apparently, she sat bolt upright, or tried to, while she was in her rack."

James winced and said, “That would do it."

Mindy took another sip of her coffee, looked into the mug a moment, and then looked up at James.

“It wasn't an ordinary dream."

“A night terror?" James asked.

“No…nothing like that. It was…one we've all had," Mindy replied, causing James to pause when he saw the look in her eyes.

“She had…the dream?" James asked quietly, raising an eyebrow again.

Mindy simply nodded her head.

“Jeezers."

“Yeah," Mindy agreed.

“Have you said anything to Miss Ja'f'darwe about this yet?" James asked cautiously.

“No, I thought I'd better tell you about it first," Mindy replied.

James thought a moment, and then slowly nodded his head.

“I was planning on talking with Miss Harankhek as soon as I had a chance about the Mail Call issue. I kept an eye on how she was handling it in the crew's mess," James said.

“There's almost always someone who doesn't get anything whenever the mail catches up with a ship, but…" Mindy started.

“…But she won't ever get any," James finished.

“That's right. Granted, we may know very little about R'Hin culture…okay, practically nothing, but still…all things considered, I'd think not knowing anything about her family—or friends, if she has any back home—has got to be gnawing at her," Mindy agreed.

James nodded his head.

“And she may not fit the psych profile to be on a long-range scout ship, to boot."

“That's a possibility we may have to consider," Mindy suggested.

James thought a moment and then said, “We took on the responsibility for her, so, whether Command likes it or not—if they ever find out about it—we'll just have to make sure we figure out a way to help Miss Harankhek keep a steady rudder."

Mindy smiled slightly at James' use of the ancient nautical term, and suggested, “The Fansq girls have been making a point of including her in activities, though we need to keep in mind that she might feel more useful doing what she was trained to do."

James thought on that a moment.

“She's a Comm Tech—you know I can't let her have access to our secure communication system," James argued.

“I understand, but…we do have other equipment to listen for whatever might be out here, right?" Mindy countered.

“Lilly usually scans for alien comm signals from her space, but…there's an auxiliary station in Stellar Cartography that can do the same thing," James replied.

“Miss Harankhek was stationed at a listening post on the R'Hin side of the DMZ, wasn't she?" Mindy asked.

“I…believe so. I think I see where you're going with this; I'll run it by some of the others and see what we come up with, fair enough?" James asked.

“Fair enough, sir," Mindy replied with a smile.

James stood up and said, “I'll see you at breakfast, Mindy.

“Yes, sir," she said, feeling a little better now that she had been able to talk with James about Khel'zet.

On his way back up to Deck 1, James had a thought.

“If only there was some way word could be gotten to Miss Harankhek's family to let them know she's still alive and well, and that she misses them and would like to hear from them…"

While thinking on that, James made his way to Miss Ja'f'darwe's stateroom—he had an idea.

The door slid open revealing the Élendorian diplomatic attaché wearing a very low-cut, mid-thigh length tunic-style sleep gown with a slit up both sides.

“Why, good morning, Captain…what may I do for you?" she asked sweetly.

“I was just talking with Chief Sorrel about something and…I had a thought that I'd like to share with you," James replied.

Being strongly empathic, Miss Ja'f'darwe smiled when James mentioned the Corpsman's name. She knew he had shared a deeply intimate mental connection with the mouse G.E.L.F. in the past, though she kept that knowledge to herself.

“Of course, Captain. Please, come in, and tell me what's on your mind."

It wasn't until he was seated that the effect of being in such close proximity to the Élendorian female made itself noticed—it was also when he noticed that what she was wearing was damned close to being see-through. The combination of the two, plus the fact that her scent had permeated the stateroom, was already starting to work on James.

“Um…yesterday, at Mail Call, I'm sure you probably noticed how Miss Harankhek struggled to keep her composure," James said, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the Élendorian female's face.

“I did," Miss Ja'f'darwe replied, leaning back on a large bolster pillow and positioning herself so that she showed as much leg as possible.

“Lilly happened to find Miss Harankhek sitting on the deck by the port-side airlock, and the two had a long chat…with Lilly doing more listening than talking. Well, long story short, it was the Mail Call that had apparently triggered a sense of homesickness. Now, here's the thought I had—I don't know how it could be possible, but…it would be something if word that Miss Harankhek was still alive and well could find its way to her family, and if a message from them could make its way back to her. I know we don't have any official contact with anyone inside the R'Hin Empire, but…just in the off chance that somehow a short message could get to them unofficially…it might help with keeping her spirits up," James explained.

“Well, that is certainly one for academics to mull over," Miss Ja'f'darwe said thoughtfully after a moment. “Do you often have such interesting thoughts so early in the morning, Captain?" she asked coyly.

James felt something brush against his leg as he took a drink of his coffee—he was reasonably sure it was her tail, though he made a point of not looking.

“On occasion," James replied with a slight smile.

“You must be greatly concerned with Khel'zet's well-being to be discussing her before breakfast with both Chief Sorrel and myself; and, as I remember, this is the first time you have been in my quarters since we departed Terra on this mission," Miss Ja'f'darwe said with a thoughtful look.

“You've been in my cabin once…" James said, alluding to the time Miss Ja'f'darwe had brought Lilly back after her experience with Char'ena.

Miss Ja'f'darwe nodded her head, though before she could say what was beginning to form in her mind, James stood up.

“Well, anyway, it was just a thought I had. I doubt anything could be done about it, but…"

“…I understand your concern for Khel'zet. Despite what we thought we knew about her people, she has shown us a different side. She has been taken away from all she knew, she is alone, she has been mistreated by strange beings, rescued by former adversaries, has had experiences she doesn't understand, and faces an uncertain future—likely among strangers who may or may not take kindly to her," Miss Ja'f'darwe explained.

“Speaking of experiences…" James added, “…the other thing Chief Sorrel mentioned was that last night Miss Harankhek had 'the dream'. The same one we all had."

The green portions of Miss Ja'f'darwe's skin lightened briefly and she rustled the feather-like appendages at the end of her tail.

“She was called to The Heart as well?"

“Apparently," James replied.

“This is interesting," Miss Ja'f'darwe commented.

“Yeah, tell me about it," James said. Thinking a moment on it, he added, “You know, Arneora said that she didn't know why Miss Harankhek had been brought to Dra'ka, and D'Narial didn't know why, either. There was something he told me once about The Heart, that it had set things in motion a long time ago that would bring us to it—maybe it meant for her to come along with us, to be included in whatever plan we're all to be a part of."

Miss Ja'f'darwe rested her chin on her hand for a moment, looking thoughtful. Before she spoke, she stood gracefully and took a half step closer to James.

“I am inclined to agree, Captain. Her fate seems to be tied with our own now."

“Given what's out there, perhaps the fate of all of us are tied together," James said, referring to the threat represented by the Dark Bloods and their minions.

“Perhaps so," Miss Ja'f'darwe quietly agreed. Moving closer to James, she lightly placed her right hand on his chest and looked him in the eye. Speaking softly, she said, “Come whatever may in the days ahead, Élendor will stand with Terra…and I with you."

James looked into her green eyes, and seeing the sincerity of her words within them, quietly asked, “Even into fire?"

“Even so, James," Miss Ja'f'darwe replied softly.

With a solemn nod of his head, James lightly placed his right hand over the te'nwah[[3]](#_ftn3) Miss Ja'f'darwe wore around her neck.

“Then, Ræha'ahna, may we find the strength to prevail."

Miss Ja'f'darwe's eyes widened as the greens of her skin lightened and the browns darkened briefly, for it was the first time James had called her by her given name.

* * * * *

Salen-na'thal sat in deep thought for a time, considering what Naoia had told him, until Nar'sena informed him that they would be arriving alongside Char'ena at any moment.

/* “Master, I 'see' Char'ena—I make the transition to her current space-time emanation?" */

“Eh? Oh, by all means, dear. Watch out for Naoia's friends—we don't want to accidentally run them over," Salen replied.

/* “Yes, Master, I will be careful." */

Powerful exotic energies flared around Nar'sena, enabling her to make the transition from the inter-universe realm to the specific universe her packmate Char'ena was currently in. To mortal eyes, it appeared as if space itself had opened up and shot forth a rainbow-hued streak of light, which coalesced into the form of a giant wolf with strange glowing eyes. To Char'ena, however, it appeared as if her packmate had simply jumped through a shimmering veil of fog, running to greet her.

* * * * *

“Miss Harankhek, got a moment?"

When Khel'zet looked up from the book she was reading and saw who had spoken to her, she jumped up from her seat.

Placing her hands behind her and looking down at the deck, she said, “Forgive me, Captain, I…I was not aware…"

“As you were, Miss Harankhek," James said calmly, interrupting her. Holding a mug out to her, he added, “Elí mentioned that you are rather fond this particular tea."

Without moving her head, Khel'zet shifted her gaze from the deck to the mug of hot tea James offered her, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“I assure you, it's perfectly safe—I don't go around poisoning members of my crew," James said with a chuckle.

Hesitantly, Khel'zet said, “But…I am not…"

“Well, that's why I stopped by—I have a proposition for you, if you're willing to hear me out," James countered.

Khel'zet lifted her face and—with a nod of her head—accepted the mug of hot tea from James. He gestured with his now free hand for her to sit and then sat down next to her.

Waiting until Khel'zet took a sip from her mug, James proceeded to give the reason for his visit.

“I'm sure by now you're probably feeling rather bored, not having anything useful to do, and there's no telling how long this mission will last. All those who are a part of the regular crew have gone through extensive psychological testing to be sure they can handle duty onboard a long-range scout ship, since we operate alone much of the time and far away from home. Crews of long-range scout ships end up becoming like a family of sorts, and I'm sure by now you probably know that some of us actually are family. Everybody onboard has a job to do, which helps to keep them from being bored out of their wits. So…here's the offer: in Stellar Cartography, there is an auxiliary station where someone can search for, listen to, get the direction of, and record signals that may be from uncontacted civilizations. It might not be much, but considering that you are a Communications Tech and were stationed on the DMZ, it might be something you'd be interested in doing. And given that you'll likely be with us for the duration of this mission, you should be given training in other areas, such as damage control and emergency first aid. This is a small ship, and when it comes to surviving whatever we might come up against, the efforts of everyone counts. When the Fansq girls joined us, we came up with something for them to do by creating the Hydroponics Bay, which they run with remarkable ability. Over time, they've been getting better at other things, too. So, think on it, and if you would like to give it a try, let me know and I'll see that it happens."

Khel'zet was shocked by James' offer of even a minor position among his crew, especially given the recent history between the R'Hin Empire and the Sol Federation of Worlds.

“I…I should be your prisoner, but…" Khel'zet started to say.

“No, you shouldn't, Miss Harankhek—the war has been over between our people for several years," James interjected.

“But…you did not have to take me with you," Khel'zet said, and then promptly looked down at the deck, fearing she may have been too bold.

Seeing the expression on her face, James gently lifted her chin with a finger.

“I don't leave people behind."

Khel'zet did not know what to think of what James said.

Pulling his hand away, James added, “I don't think it's mere coincidence that our paths crossed, especially now that you've had the same dream the rest of us have had. If this Heart-thing has called us to it for some reason or another, then we will go find out why together."

“Yes, sir," Khel'zet said, remembering Moira's lesson on addressing officers.

James smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

“On another subject…we're going to try to find a way to get word to your family and give them a quick explanation of what happened to you and that you're okay. See Miss Stewert after dinner tonight and she will help you record a message."

“You would do that for me?" Khel'zet asked in bewilderment.

Giving her a few gentle pats on the shoulder, James smiled and said, “I take care of my crew."

Khel'zet stared after James in disbelief when he left. After several moments had passed, she slowly sat back down on the couch in the ship's library, looked at the mug of tea, and then looked at the door.

“When Elí and Meyleh told me how they came to be on this ship and how the captain treated them, I could not believe it. If this had been a R'Hin vessel, they would have been executed on the spot and their bodies tossed out an airlock—or worse. These people…they are so different from us in many ways, yet, as I have learned, we are alike in others. I…I find myself thankful to have made their acquaintance for they are honorable people. The longer I remain in their company, the more I despise our emperor for ordering the war against them and those who convinced him to do so. This '_captain', _as he is called in their tongue—he is respected by all on his ship and the two others that travel with it. Though I was taught to think of him as 'the enemy', I know now who truly is the enemy of all of us. Chief Donnelson told me they would stand with me when my name is called—my own people may cast my name into the fire for this, but I find that I can do less than to be at their side when that fight comes as it will affect all of the civilizations in this galaxy, and perhaps others as well. I…I have chosen."

* * * * *

Naoia watched and listened with Salen as the scene with James and Khel'zet played out.

“Well, that right there would certainly be my guess as to why The Heart chose the dark skinned one. She has a conscious and she knows right from wrong," Salen commented.

Naoia considered that and said, “Unlike that idiot emperor of theirs and his fool advisors, she knows who their real enemy is. The more I think about it, the more I want to go have a little chat with those folks."

“I suppose you'll show them the 'light of reason' just before you incinerate their carcasses," Salen said with a bit of playful sarcasm.

“At this point, she would make a better leader than the current idiot-in-charge of the R'Hin Empire," Naoia said with a snort.

“Well, before you decide to wade into their midst and detonate a matter-antimatter pair of singularities under their collective tails, let me discreetly sniff around and find out more about this child and get an idea what the rest of her people really think. If there's one decent person among them, there may be others. And if there's enough, then maybe all that will be needed is a bit of a nudge in the right direction to encourage the people to clean out their own den and straighten up their path," Salen suggested firmly.

“Singularities, eh? Now that's a good one—I'll have to remember that," Naoia shot back sarcastically. Putting her hands on her hips, she asked, “Have you been hanging around Saleh lately?"

Salen chuckled and replied, “Ah…no. I haven't seen much of her since you've been tinkering with this universe."

Naoia regarded Salen shrewdly for a moment and then snorted.

The two First Ones caught each other up on what had been going on in their respective areas of interest, which gave Char'ena a chance to catch up with her packmate, Nar'sena.

* * * * *

“Captain, a spatial disturbance is rapidly forming behind us!" Zach called out from the primary science station on the bridge.

“Show me," James quickly ordered.

When Zach projected the event on the main holographic viewer, the mouths of everyone on the bridge gaped at the sight. It appeared as if space itself had opened up and a rainbow-hued streak of light burst forth from it. A hair-raising howl, similar to the one they had heard months before in the THF[[4]](#_ftn4) band, came over the ship's communications equipment.

The streak of light rapidly slowed and coalesced into a second wolf ship the same size as the one that had been following them since Élenswena.

“Jeezers, another one!" James exclaimed quietly.

They watched the two wolf ships greet each other as if they were real flesh and blood wolves from Terra. The wolf ship that had been following them paused a moment and looked directly at Nightwing. It cocked its head a bit and then blinked its strange glowing eyes once…and the viewer suddenly switched off.

“What the…?! Zach, did you cut the viewer?" James demanded.

“It wasn't me…" Zach replied.

“Get it back," James ordered.

“Aye, sir…" Zach acknowledged, turning to his panel and touching control pads.

A moment later, the view of the two wolf ships returned. The new wolf ship glanced towards the ship and then looked back at the first, who again looked at Nightwing, cocked its head the other direction, and then blinked its eyes. The viewer promptly turned off.

“What's going on?" James demanded to know.

“I…don't know," Zach replied, trying to reestablish the view—every time he touched the control pad, there was an error signal. “It's not letting me select rear view."

James frowned as he glanced over at Tanya.

“Syl, call Shauna up here and have her check out the science station," James ordered.

“Aye, sir," Sylvia acknowledged and called the Ship's Engineer to the bridge to troubleshoot the primary science station.

Shauna stepped onto the bridge followed by SRB-5836.

“What's the problem, Zach?" Shauna asked, opening up the tool kit she had brought with her.

“Another one of those wolf ships arrived and we were watching what they were doing. The one that has been following us looked right at the ship and blinked, then the viewer turned off. I got the view back, but then that wolf ship did the same thing, and now I get an error every time I try to select aft view," Zach explained.

He proceeded to demonstrate to Shauna what was happening, once again getting the error signal.

“Hmph, that's strange. Fifty-Eight Thirty-Six, plug in and watch the command functions," Shauna said. The SRB whistled his acknowledgement and opened a small access panel, plugging into the diagnostic port. “Try manually panning the view to the rear" Shauna instructed.

Zach gave a nod of his head and began a 360-degree clockwise visual sweep around the ship. When the view was approaching directly aft, the video feed cut out and the viewer shut off.

“Try again going the other direction," Shauna instructed.

Zach reversed direction, panning around counter-clockwise. Again, the video feed cut out and the viewer shut off when the angle was nearly aft.

“Damn. Pulling out her PAD, Shauna asked the SRB, “What's goin' on in there, guy?"

SRB-5836 whistled and beeped, and then a text message appeared on Shauna's PAD.

** “No malfunction in science station. Signal loss in aft video feed possibly due to faulty sensor processor. We go check?"**

“Yeah, we'd better check it out," Shauna replied to the bot. “We might have a fault in a sensor processor—Fifty-Eight Thirty-Six and I are going to go and take a look at it," Shauna announced loud enough for everyone on the bridge to hear.

“Let us know what you find out," James said, looking over his shoulder at her.

“We're on it. C'mon, little guy, time to go gremlin hunting," Shauna said with a chuckle.

“WooOOoo."

* * * * *

“Okay, let's see what this puppy's doing," Shauna said when she and SRB-5836 entered the aft sensor equipment space.

She removed the maintenance cover panel and connected her diagnostic PAD to a test jack. Once logged into the system, Shauna instructed Fifty-Eight Thirty-Six to manually pan the video sensor via the direct control. As on the bridge, when the sensor was pointing directly aft, the video cut out.

“Damn, it's still doing it. The raw video stream appears fine, but as soon as the sensor processor receives it, the fool thing throws an exception error," Shauna said.

“Woo-be-WEooo-beeda-beep-beep-weeOO-badda-raap."

“Eh?" Shauna asked, only half listening while staring intently at her diagnostic PAD.

There was a beep and a text box popped up on the screen.

“Check raw video stream direct from aft sensor?"

“You mean, before it gets to the sensor processor?" Shauna asked.

“WEEoo," SRB-5836 replied.

“Okay, just a sec, and I'll plug this into it and reconfigure the PAD to process the signal," Shauna said.

She switched test ports, tapped in some commands, and the live video feed from the aft sensor array displayed on her PAD.

“Well, lookie there, that works, so we know there's nothing wrong with the sensor array itself. Check it out, little dude…" Shauna said, holding the diagnostic PAD down so that SRB-5836 could see the screen. The two giant wolf ships were visible, though only at the resolution the PAD was capable of.

“BEEdo-beeda-wheeooo-boop-ba-de-de-de-dweep."

A new text box appeared, saying,

“Reboot after telling captain?"

“Yeah, that would be the next thing to try. I'll let him know," Shauna replied. She tapped the button on her comm set. “Eriksson to bridge."

[Sylvia]: “Stewert here, go ahead Miss Eriksson."

[Shauna]: “Tell the captain that I'm going to reboot the aft sensor array and see if that clears the error. The raw video stream checks out fine, though the sensor processor kicks out an exception whenever it gets the video feed from the rear array. If rebooting doesn't clear it, I'll pull the processor and take it back to Engineering to see if it's a physical defect or if something screwed up the instruction set. If the instruction set has been corrupted, I can erase it and rewrite the EEPROM[[5]](#ftn5)—if it's a _physical fault, then that'll take a bit to fix. I'll have Fifty-Eight Thirty-Six pull a spare out of storage, just in case the reboot doesn't work."

[Sylvia]: “Copy that, Miss Eriksson. I'll let him know. Bridge out."

Shauna went through the reboot procedure. As the sensor processor was starting back up, she said, “Let's hope this is all it takes."

“WOOooo," SRB-5836 responded.

They both watched the code step though line by line—everything seemed to be executing properly. When it was fully up and running, Shauna and the bot checked to make sure it worked. She watched on her PAD while SRB-5836 panned the sensor. When it was pointing directly aft, the video continued to work normally as it should.

“Well, that was an easy enough fix. Let's button things up and head back to Engineering," Shauna said.

“WEEooo."

When they were finished in the equipment space, Shauna called the bridge to inform that the rear sensor array was back up in full operation.

* * * * *

“Maybe we not look at them, da?" Tanya suggested once the aft sensor processor was back online.

“I agree, sir, I don't think we should press our luck—they might do something more than cause a little hiccup in the sensor system," Zach said.

James drummed his fingers on his console a few seconds.

“I wonder what's going on back there that's so damned important that they don't want us to see," James fumed. “Anything remotely dangerous in the vicinity ahead of us?"

Giving his instrumentation a quick check, Zach replied, “No, sir…don't see anything other than the usual."

James thought a few seconds, then began touching control pads.

“James, what are you doing…?" Tanya asked warily.

“There's more than one way to look at something," James replied with a determined look.

Manipulating the fields emanating from the primary drive, James rotated the ship 180 degrees so that it was now flying stern first…and enabling him to look at the two wolf ships directly through the bridge windows.

Using his limited form of telepathy, he sent firmly to the wolf ship, “Hey, all we wanted to do was see what was going on behind us. I didn't appreciate you messing with my ship. This is uncharted space for us and I need to know what's going on around my ship so we don't get hit by something unexpected. If you have something so damned secret that you don't want mere mortals to see, just say so. Would you blind a cubling just because you didn't want it to see what momma was doing?"

Without waiting for a reply—or even expecting one—James turned the ship back around.

“Hmpf, chew on that," James muttered, taking a swig from his coffee mug.

“What did you say to them, dear?" Tanya asked James quietly. When James told her, she shook her head and said, “I doubt they will respond."

“Probably not," James agreed.

James finished his coffee a short while later and had Tanya take over while he went to get a refill. After getting out of the pilot's seat, he took no more than a step away from it when Tanya suddenly uttered something sharply in her native Russian. Turning around, he was about to ask her what was the matter, but then he saw that her eyes were wide with surprise and she was pointing at something.

Lying across his seat was a sprig of a flowering bush.

* * * * *

“What do you think, ladies…can you save it and make it grow?"

“We try," Elí and Meyleh said excitedly, nearly in unison. Elí added, “Might take a while before we know."

James and Moira watched as they took the sprig to a work bench in Hydroponics and began studying it closely.

“I sure wish I knew how they made all of these grow so well," James said quietly to Moira on their way out, waving his hand to indicate the variety of plants the two Fansq girls had been growing.

“They seem to spend a portion of their time with each individual plant, though what exactly they do, I have been unable to determine so far," Moira said after the door closed.

“Well, they certainly have the magic touch with growing things," James quipped, shaking his head slightly.

“For lack of a better explanation, it would appear so, James," Moira agreed. “I am curious—what type of plant is that and where did it came from?"

“I have no idea," James replied.

He told Moira what had happened from the time Zach had discovered the spatial disturbance to the sprig appearing on his seat after getting up to get a refill on his coffee, even though she already knew most of it—the exception was the telepathy part.

Pausing her reply for a moment to give the appearance of having thought about it at the speed a biological being would, she said with a speculative look, “You seem to have a penchant for confronting vastly superior beings."

James thought a moment and then said with a slight chuckle, “One mosquito buzzing around in a house may be annoying, though it can still bite when you're not paying attention; but having a cloud of tens of thousands chasing you across the tundra as if you're an all-you-can-eat buffet, well, it's gonna hurt."

Moira rolled her eyes and said, “Better hope they forgot the bug spray," and then put her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

* * * * *

“Hey, Thavi heard about new plant that appeared out of thin air."

“We are trying to convince it to make roots," Meyleh said.

“It is a very unusual plant," Elí added. “Come see."

Thavi pulled a stool over to the workbench and hopped up onto it. When she got a good look at the sprig, Thavi cocked her head to one side and held her hand over it—a moment later, Thavi's eyes widened in awe.

“This has chanitha! Lots of it!" Thavi said excitedly. Pulling out her own handheld scanner, she took a reading of the sprig. After studying it for a few seconds, she said, “Look, this is what Thavi found at structure on Élendor—this is what Thavi just got from strange plant."

Elí and Meyleh both looked at the comparison between the two readings and were amazed by the similarities. Acting on a sudden impulse, Thavi jumped down off her stool, got a flower pot, and then started scooping potting soil into it.

“What are you doing, Thavi?" Meyleh asked.

Bringing the flower pot back and putting it on the bench, she jumped back up onto the stool and said, “Thavi try something…"

Digging the fingers of one hand into the soil, Thavi picked up the sprig in her other hand, closed her eyes, and began singing in her native chittering language. Nothing appeared to happen, as far as either Elí or Meyleh could tell.

A couple minutes later, Thavi opened her eyes and said in her version of Terran Standard English, “You grow now for Thavi?" She looked expectantly at the sprig for a few moments, smiled, and then stuck the sprig into the soil in the pot. Within seconds, a faint glow appeared, covering the sprig and spreading into the soil.

“What did you do?" Meyleh asked in astonishment.

Thavi smiled again and replied, “Thabbani have understanding of chanitha others do not. Thavi sang Song of Building, made two things work together. Meyleh do own thing with plant, will work now."

Thavi slid the pot over to Meyleh and brushed the dirt from her hand while she watched her bunk mate work her own particular 'magic' with the sprig.

The Fansq have a unique understanding of plants which, over the space of many generations, grew to give them the ability to manipulate their growth by will alone. Although all Fansq have the ability to some degree, Meyleh had shown a particularly strong level of ability—it was the reason why she had been selected to be among the advanced learners to go to the uninhabited world in a nearby system to study its vegetation, only to have the misfortune of being attacked by Pliq raiders.

Meyleh gently caressed the sprig, peering intently at it, while Thavi and Elí looked on. At the base of the stem, cells began to change, forming tiny rootlets that reached hungerly into the moist, rich potting soil.

“It grows now," Meyleh announced after a short while. She looked up with a smile and added, “We will see what it becomes."

* * * * *

James sat in his office reviewing logs, status reports, inventories, and working on his own mission report to send back to Command via the Mûr Tua'ansa military communications network. His concentration was interrupted by the chime of the intercom.

/* “Stewert here, Captain. Miss Kei'sa wishes to come aboard to speak with you, Madam Commander Rhuw-Rha'an, and Miss Salnuano. She insists on speaking in person." */

“Did she say why?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

/* “No, sir." */

“Hmm. Well, then, tell the others to drop to normal space and come to a full stop," James instructed.

/* “Aye, sir," */ Sylvia acknowledged.

Shortly after the four ships came to a stop and Rha'an and Rissanivi had a chance to get over to Nightwing, Kei'sa appeared in a swirl of light near the small couch in his office.

“Thank you for letting me see you on such short notice," the Y'Nahran female said with a relieved look.

“Miss Kei'sa," James said greeting her. He gestured for her to have a seat on an empty chair pulled up a chair for himself. “What is it you wanted to see us about?"

Kei'sa looked down at the deck a few moments; when she looked up again, her expression was serious.

“Up ahead, beyond your sensor range, there is something you all should see with your own eyes, yet, you need to avoid if at all possible."

“And what might that be?" James asked.

Kei'sa paused a moment and said, “Before I tell you, do you remember the area of space you crossed that was unstable?"

“Um, yeah, I guided friends through it," Rissanivi piped up.

“We remember it. In fact, D'Narial gave me some history of what happened there—I think we've all read it by now," James said.

“Indeed so. It was, as some might call, an epic battle," Rha'an sent.

Kei'sa slowly nodded her head a few times.

“It was the last battle the Theronesians had with the Dark Bloods before they left their original territory to move to the larger of the two small galactic remnants that circle this galaxy."

“Is there a similar area of space ahead?" Rha'an asked.

“No, something more dangerous," Kei'sa said.

Glancing quickly at his two friends, James asked, “And what might that be?"

“A derelict Dark Blood ship that was in that battle," Kei'sa replied. Seeing the looks on the faces of the others, she continued. “It had taken considerable damage and was limping home, though it never arrived. Supposedly, it was abandoned after another of their ships failed to return for it. It has been drifting ever since. I was told that Dark Blood ships have been detected in this part of the galaxy out towards the rim, and that there are other First Ones looking for them before they find you."

“Find us? Why?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kei'sa sighed and said, “This is where things get really complicated and I do not know enough to explain it. It has something to do with why you have been called to The Heart. I think the Dark Bloods are afraid of what you will become."

“Those on our three ships specifically, or our people in general?" James asked.

“All those who have been called to The Heart," Kei'sa replied.

After a moment of silence, Rha'an asked, “You mentioned the derelict Dark Blood ship is dangerous, how?"

“It may or may not still be alive. Like your people, Commander, the Dark Bloods have living ships, though they are nothing like your Se'nika—they are as malevolent as their masters. If the one up ahead has any life left in it, it may simply be lying in wait for anyone to stumble upon it," Kei'sa explained.

“And then what?" James asked.

“And then it will kill them," Kei'sa replied somberly.

* * * * *

Naoia and Salen-na'thal knew about the message that was to be recorded by the R'Hinsi female and took steps to ensure that it would indeed make its way to her family as intended when it was sent.

After leaving Naoia and Char'ena to find out more about what might have prompted The Heart to choose the R'Hinsi female, it took almost no time at all for Nar'sena to arrive just outside R'Hin space. Staying just enough out of phase to not be detected by the sensor net, they crossed the border into the R'Hin Empire, and headed straight to the homeworld. After a quick bit of searching, Salen found Khel'zet's home and paid her family a ghostly visit. He listened to their thoughts as he glanced through the items in her room.

“I can understand how the poor child was afraid to speak her mind here," Salen thought to himself, seeing the government literature he found there. Of those among her family present at the time, he learned that she was not the only one who thought the same way. He whispered to them to have hope. Moving on, he found Khel'zet's friends and friends of friends—those who felt as she did, he whispered encouragement; to those who did not, he planted the seed of doubt in their otherwise staunch support of the current government. Searching further, Salen found that there were numerous citizens who knew their leader was wrong in ordering the wars with their neighbors among the stars, but were too afraid to take action.

“What is it that has put so much fear into these people?" Salen asked himself.

The best way to know for sure was to go back to where things began to go wrong.

Once back in his ship, Salen said, “Nar'sena, ol' gal, we need to take a little jump or two back in time to find out some things about these people."

/* “How far back do you wish to go, Master?" */

“Oh, let's start with just before their current emperor was born. That should be a good place to start, I think," Salen replied.

/* “As you wish, Master. Beginning calculations for entry into time stream, seventy-three turns of the seasons on R'Hin homeworld in the past…initiating insertion…" */

* * * * *

Khel'zet waited nervously in the crew's mess for the captain. She had made up her mind what to do. When James entered, he took note of all who were present as he usually did, and proceeded to the serving line. Khel'zet waited—not everyone was there yet. She knew some would eat early and some would come in later, though she waited for certain individuals to arrive. What she planned to do would be life changing and the execution had to be before appropriate witnesses. She waited a bit more. When Nightwing's Science Officer entered the crew's mess, Khel'zet felt her heart race. Two more to go. The wait seemed to drag on longer than it actually did. Finally, she heard two voices coming closer in the passageway. Lilly and Shauna walked in, waved at James, and headed to the serving line. Khel'zet knew that the ship's Executive Officer would likely be on the bridge piloting the ship while they were underway. She now had only to wait just for the right moment.

And the moment came.

Khel'zet stood up, adjusted her clothing, and took a deep breath.

“I have made my choice," she reminded herself.

Letting out her breath, she walked purposefully to the captain's table.

James had taken his time getting to his table, having stopped to talk to some of the crew along the way while Lilly and Shauna were getting their meals. The three of them were just about to be seated when James saw Khel'zet walking towards him.

“Miss Harankhek," James said with a smile, acknowledging her presence.

“Captain," she said in return.

Moira's android avatar had already been seated at the table waiting for James when Khel'zet had entered the crew's mess. Noticing that the R'Hinsi female had went to a table without getting any food, Moira made note of the change in her routine, discretely watching Khel'zet's facial expression, posture, body language, and other indicators. When she stood, adjusted her clothing, and closed her eyes, Moira watched more carefully. When it was apparent that Khel'zet was walking towards James, Moira quickly sized up the situation, weighed her options, and calculated distance, speed, and angles.

Having become somewhat accustomed to the R'Hinsi's mannerisms, James knew she was acting a bit different. What Khel'zet did next surprised everyone, even Moira.

Dropping to one knee and bowing her head, Khel'zet touched her hands to opposite shoulders, placed them one atop the other on her chest a moment, and then held one out towards James.

“Captain James Daugherty, Senior Officer in Command of this ship, I, Communications Technician, Lower Grade, Khel'zet Harankhek, of uncertain status in the R'Hin Empire, swear on my oath and my life, to be a loyal member of this crew, if you would accept me as one of your own. If not, then I shall be disgraced before all present for attempting to follow a Senior Officer other than one whom I have previously sworn myself to. I choose this of my own will and have not been compelled by threat or force or other means. I submit to your will and am prepared for your judgement if I should be unworthy."

While James thought that she might quietly take him up on his offer in private, he was definitely not expecting such a formal—or moving—oath of allegiance. Glancing about at the astonished expressions of those present, James knew there was only one thing he could do—the right thing.

Taking Khel'zet's hand, he placed his other hand under her outstretched arm and gently lifted, prompting her to stand.

Still holding her hand, James shook it warmly and said, “Welcome aboard, Miss Harankhek."

When she looked up, there was a tear running down her face and she trembled. James pulled her close and gave her a friendly hug. He glanced around and nodded his head. All who were present got up and moved in close, touching, hugging, and sending their acceptance to Khel'zet—in time, the rest of the crew would as well as soon as they got the chance. Word quickly spread to Rha'an and her crew, and to Rissanivi as well, that the R'Hinsi female had been ritually accepted by those who served on the S.F.S. Nightwing. During the next regularly scheduled crew mixer, they would add their own welcome to those of their friends. Khel'zet had a place and a purpose, she was among people who cared, and who she could trust. These people had willingly put themselves at risk on her behalf to save her from confinement, torture, or possibly worse; they refused to leave her stranded on a world populated by a powerful Elder Race who looked upon her as one might a bug in a jar; and despite the past history between her people and theirs, they were able to set aside that past and simply accept her for who she was. For all that they had done for her, Khel'zet knew that she could not let down the crew she was now a part of. She had made her choice in good faith and with a clear conscious.

After dinner that evening, Khel'zet recorded her message to her family. She worded it carefully, knowing that it could be intercepted and analyzed for meanings within meanings. The message was given to Miss Ja'f'darwe, the Élendorian diplomatic attaché, who sent it on to her uncle the ambassador. It was a long-shot, but one that was worth trying. Unknown to those who sent it, Khel'zet's message had unseen hands helping it along the way to make sure it reached its intended audience.

The next day, Khel'zet had been instructed to see the ship's clerk, YM2 Felix Canberra, who had several black working uniforms made for her as well as a full-dress uniform. At midday ship time, Khel'zet changed into one of her new working uniforms and went with Elí and Meyleh to the crew's mess for lunch. As soon as she stepped into the space, she stopped in her tracks with mouth agape. The entire ship's compliment was there, applauding and cheering her. When the captain called her to him, she tried hard not to be overcome with embarrassment. In a quick little ceremony, she was given the acting rank of Communication Specialist Petty Officer Third Class and a party in her honor, duly arranged by the Fansq girls.

That night as she laid in her rack after lights out, Khel'zet reflected on how her life had taken a huge change. When she recalled how Chief Donnelson had comforted her after the Mail Call, and the evening before how she had been accepted by the captain and his crew, Khel'zet's eyes welled up. She now realized the truth in the words Chief Sorrel had spoken to her back on Dra'ka during their moment of forgiveness. “Here you will find only love and acceptance."

And she had.

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[[1]](#_ftnref1) Chu'hrek – R'Hin word for “assassin".

[[2]](#ftnref2) Khel'zet had been shown the video recorded by the probe from the _Se'nika of the Laona Trelansi colony world (“Daggers of Darkness #1: Into the Black"), as well as mental images from some of the Mûr Tua'ansa crew members themselves.

[[3]](#_ftnref3) Te'nwah – a pendant with the sigil of a D'wena (the Élendorian equivalent of a clan).

[[4]](#ftnref4) THF – Tremendously High Frequency = 0.3 to 3 Terahertz (THz; 1 THz = 1012 Hertz); also known as the _submillimeter band.

[[5]](#_ftnref5) EEPROM – Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory.

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On to chapter 2...